Seam presser



Patented Aug. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEAM PRESSER Marie W; Hakes, Eureka,,Ill.

Application September 11, 1947, Serial No. 773,424

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to ironing apparatus, and more particularly to a seam presser comprisin a hollow ironing member, containing an electric heating element and communicating with a water reservoir. It is well understood that devices of this general character have been developed and patented and a patent is not sought on the general construction of ironing devices of this character. What is sought by Letters Patent comprises the herein described device which includes refinements and improvements rendering the device particularly adaptable for the use to which it is to be put, while making the device particularly safe as well as convenient to use.

The primary-object of this invention is to provide-a seam presser which can be removably secured to a sewing machine or sewing table and which may be utilized to press a seam immediately after the said seam has been accomplished on the sewing machine or by the hands of the seamstress thus avoiding the necessity of the operator leaving the machine or table in order to press the seam. Obviously, a hem or turn in the cloth may be pressed or ironed after the same manner as a seam when this is desired.

Another salient object of this invention is to incorporate with an electric iron of the'type herein described a water reservoir and means to direct water from thereservoir into an upper portion of the ironing member, together with valve means to accurately control the flow of water.

Another'specific object of this invention is to provide a rheostat which may be used to accurately control the'heating of the electricelement in the ironing member, this rheostat cooperating with the valve mentioned in the preceding object,

in order to provide proper conditions for ironing various types of material.

Still another specific object of this invention is to provide a steam outlet in the ironing member at one end thereof only, this one end being remote from the point of entry of the water in the ironing member, since this arrangement has been-found to accurately control the formation 'of steam 'in a manner comparable to the accurate control obtained in larger devices such as steam pressing machines.

And a last object to be specifically mentioned is to provide a device of this character which is relatively inexpensive and practicable to manufacture, extremely simple and convenient to use under many varying conditions and for several difierent uses, and which is generally eflicient and durable in service.

With these objects definitely in view, together with other objects which will appear as this description proceeds, this invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions which will be described hereinafter in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of this invention, portions'thereof being broken away and the underlying parts shown in vertical cross-section, the figure including a portion of a sewing machine or table and a representation of the power connections for the electric heating element;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1, a portion of the water reservoir being broken away to conserve space; and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of an end portion of the ironing member, the view being taken substantially on the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical parts and portions throughout the specification and throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that the environment wherewith this invention is adapted to be used includes a sewing machine or sewing table, a portion of which is represented at I 0 in the different figures. This environment includes electric wire leads I2 represented in the wall I4, a wall outlet l 6, and a plug 18 is provided on the flexible electrical cable 20 for connecting the device in a customary manner.

The ironing member 22 is a hollow elongated unit in which the upper face 24 thereof is preferably arcuate, and the whole ironing member should be constructed with no sharp edges and the surface,'pa rticularl the upper surface 24 should be very mooth. One end of therupper surface 24 is apertured as at 26 fora reason hereinafter made clear.

A bafile plate 28 is disposed longitudinally within the ironing member 22, this baflle plate being of a length and width to allow the same to be peripherally secured to the ends 30 and 32 and the sides 34 of the ironing member, thus dividing the ironing member into upper and lower compartments. The bafile plate 28 is imperforate and the end 32 of the ironing member is apertured to receive a pipe 36 which, along with a.

valve 38 and a right angularly bent pipe 40, communicates the water reservoir 42 with the said upper compartment. The water reservoir 42 may be of any desired character and will ordinarily be filled from a capped vent 44 at the top thereof.

The lower compartment is provided with a complement of electric heating elements d6 which are not illustrated in detail in the drawings and which may be of any desired character suitable for use within an electric iron of this general character. Ordinarily. the electric heating element 46 will comprise a resistance wire Wound upon an insulative body and connected to electric lead 48. These leads 4B are connected to the aforementioned power leads 28 through a rheostat 50. This rheostat is of a character designed to maintain constant temperatures of the element 46, and consequently of the ironing member 22, as desirable or necessary when the device is used with various types of material. Ordinarily, these difierent types of material will include only rayon, silk, cotton and wool and the rheostat may have indicia marked thereon, as indicated at 52, to facilitate the setting of the rheostat for use with any one of these materials.

It will be noted that the ironing member 22 is supported on a standard 54 and that this standard terminates in a C-clamp 58 with a thumbscrew 58, whereby the device may be readily clamped upon the table member represented at 10.

Other refinements of structure not before mentioned will include such elements as th grommet 68, illustrated in Figure 2 and used in connection with the flexible power leads 29, as well as a gasket '13 which may be inserted in the upper portion of the ironing member andon top of the plate 28.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects sought to be achieved by this invention but in recapitulation, it may be noted that in using both of the illustrated forms of this invention, the ironing member is secured to the sewing machine or sewing table adjacent to the operator, and when the ironing member is heated the material may be pressed by simply forcing the material downwardly upon the smooth upper surface of the ironing member. In operating the form illustrated in Figures 1, 2- and 3, the valve 38 must be opened to a predetermined extent and for a limited length of time to admit sufficient water from the reservoir 42 to create steam which is emitted through the apertures 26. Obviously, the rheostat 52 is set according to the type of material being pressed.

. Though there has been shown a particular embodiment of this invention and a simplified form of this embodiment, this invention is not limited to the devices illustrated in the drawings, but the scope of thisinvention should be limited only by. a proper interpretation of the terminology used in the appended claims.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A seam pressing attachment for sewing machines, said attachment comprising an elongated hollow member including a convex upper wall having apertures at one of its ends, a hollow upright secured at its upper end intermediate the ends of the member, a clamp at th lower end of said upright for attaching the upright to a supporting structure, a flat horizontal partition having marginal edges secured to the inner Walls of the member and dividing the member into upper and lower compartments, an electric heating element mounted in the lower compartment beneath the partition and including conductors extending through and outwardly from th upright, and a receptacle supported solely by the member and having an outlet conduit attached to the member above the partition for supplying a liquid to the upper compartment.

2. The combination of claim 1 and a rheostat mounted on said upright and electrically connected to said heating unit for regulating the supply of current to the heating unit.

3. A seam pressing attachment for sewing machines, said attachment comprising an elongated hollow member including a convex upper wall having apertures at on of its ends, a hollow upright secured at its upper end intermediate the ends of the member, a clamp at the lower end of said upright for attaching the upright to a supporting structure, a fiat horizontal partition having marginal edges secured to the inner walls of the member and dividing the member into upper and lower compartments, an electric heating element mounted in th lower compartment beneath the partition and including conductors extending through and outwardly from the upright, and a receptacle supported by the end of said member remote from said apertures and having a conduit entering the member above the partition, said upright being located closer to the end of said member supporting the receptacle than the end of the member havin the apertures.

MARIE W. HAKES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 661,289 Garland Nov. 6, 1900 1,209,773 Smith Dec. 26, 1916 1,472,089 Rae Oct. 30, 1923 1,918,192 Peebles July 11, 1933 1,978,572 Earl Oct. 30, 1934 2,039,892 Dowinsky May 5, 1936 2,369,623 Utley et al Feb. 13, 1945 2,373,248 Lucia Apr. 10, 1945 2,448,577 Chiarotti et al. Sept. 7, 1948 2,483,579 Green Oct. 4, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 289,313 Germany Dec. 17, 1915 

